perceptible

adjective

per·​cep·​ti·​ble pər-ˈsep-tə-bəl 

: capable of being perceived especially by the senses

a perceptible change in her tone

a barely perceptible light

perceptibility

pər-ˌsep-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

perceptibly

pər-ˈsep-tə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

See here: if something is perceptible, you can perceive it (“to notice or become aware of”) or capture it with your senses. Those who are linguistically perceptive may wonder if perceptible comes to us from Latin. It does indeed. Arriving in English by way of Late Latin perceptibilis, perceptible comes from a form of percipere (“to perceive”), which comes from Latin capere (“to take”) and the prefix per- (“thoroughly”). Perceptible shares the capere part of its ancestry with a number of other English words related to seizing or being seized, including capture, captor, captivate, and even catch. An even closer relation of perceptible is perceptive: while perceptible describes what can be perceived, perceptive describes the one who does the perceiving. Perceptive was formed in English from perception, which is also from percipere.

Synonyms

• appreciable
• apprehensible
• detectable
• discernible
• discernable
• distinguishable
• palpable
• sensible

Choose the Right Synonym for perceptible

perceptible, sensible, palpable, tangible, appreciable, ponderable mean apprehensible as real or existent.

perceptible applies to what can be discerned by the senses often to a minimal extent.

a perceptible difference in sound to a careful listener

sensible applies to whatever is clearly apprehended through the senses or impresses itself strongly on the mind.

an abrupt, sensible drop in temperature

palpable applies either to what has physical substance or to what is obvious and unmistakable.

the tension in the air was almost palpable

tangible suggests what is capable of being handled or grasped both physically and mentally.

no tangible evidence of UFOs

appreciable applies to what is distinctly discernible by the senses or definitely measurable.

an appreciable increase in income

ponderable suggests having definitely measurable weight or importance.

exerted a ponderable influence on world events

Examples of perceptible in a Sentence

The sound was barely perceptible.

There was a perceptible change in the audience's mood.

Recent Examples on the Web

To be even more nitpicky, even via the PC, after pressing play there was always a tiny, but perceptible delay before the audio immenseein, which meant the first half-second of the first track faded in. —Benny Har-Even, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

On Friday, wind gusts were 12 mph or less, with a nearly two-hour morning stretch of no perceptible winds, according to National Weather Service data. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024

The barely perceptible changes in climate, demography, and geology; the gradual formation of religious and cultural practices; and the slow growth of trade networks or agricultural practices -- all of this, Braudel held, is the real stuff of human affairs. —Robert Zaretsky, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2011

Spiders are also keen observers of the forest’s breath, barely perceptible air currents eddying through the trees, and place their webs strategically to intercept these drafts — and the insects that use them to boost their transit through the woods. —Rick Borchelt, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

perceptible

adjective

per·​cep·​ti·​ble pər-ˈsep-tə-bəl 

: capable of being noticed or observed

a perceptible change

perceptibly

-blē 

adverb

Medical Definition

perceptible

adjective

per·​cep·​ti·​ble pər-ˈsep-tə-bəl 

: capable of being perceived especially by the senses

barely perceptible motion

sound perceptible by the human ear

perceptibility

-ˌsep-tə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural perceptibilities

perceptibly

-blē 

adverb